Pretend You're Never Wrong...

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Answers on a postcard please :]

hipsterlibertarian:

“It is not the case that capitalism “encourages greed,” though we hear this constantly from socialists and “traditionalists.” Capitalism is merely a series of exchanges, bounded by property and contract. “Greed” will be evident in any system — full-fledged socialism, medieval guildism, crony capitalism, whatever. The difference is that in those systems, people improve their position by harming others, and only by harming others. Under the market, where the consumer is king, one advances by pleasing his fellow man.”

Other than, in all those examples of capitalism where property and contracts are inferior to expensive corporate lawyers. And those examples where consumers are deliberately emotionally distanced from the source of their goods. And where one advances by trampling over others who have less power, and profit is king…

(Source: tomwoods.com)

So the Black Rhino is extinct. That’ll upset a fair few conservationists I expect. But I can’t help asking, so what?

Of course it’s a tragedy that humankind think animals are disposable. But concern for collectives like this hides the real suffering of individual animals. Why does being among the last of your species make you ethically superior? It shouldn’t. Animals are being systematically tortured and killed on a mass scale in almost every country, why doesn’t this get headlines in the news?

I say concern for endangered species is misdirected. If all the funds and political influence that conservation groups were to be used more effectively, it could change the world for billions of lives. Instead, it’s wasted saving a relatively very small number of animals whose suffering is, comparatively, barely negligible. But I strongly suspect conservationists’ motivation isn’t animals and animal rights, it’s human nostalgia. 

fappington asked: Just to point out, fish cannot sense pain.

Just to point out, yes they can. 

Use common sense, watch a fish being pulled out of the water on a hook or in a net and tell me they’re unaware. 

Failing that, google it, it’s what it’s for.

I’m doing a dissertation on animal charities at the moment and I’m pretty disgusted to see how many groups can only extend rights to specific animals. I mean these are the main people fighting for animal rights -through lobbying, education, campaigning, whatever. 

Example A. Born Free. A major wildlife foundation. “Keep wildlife in the wild”, so they say. So I was browsing through their publications when I found this. It’s a story about over 1000 elephant tusks being hidden in dried fish exports. We’re meant to feel sorry for the elephants and be angry at the poachers. It goes on to complain about ivory trading. NOT ONCE is it mentioned that many times more fish died; hauled out of their environment and most likely left to suffocate to death. Anyone who’s ever seen a fish being caught knows they feel pain, they struggle, they get distressed and they don’t want to die. Yet only elephants are worthy of our ethical consideration. 

Example B: RSCPA and “The big Sunday lunch”, which was last Sunday. They’re promoting eating meat to raise money for cuter, floofier animals, recipes and all. Sure, they’ve got the freedom foods link there, but to steal Bob Torres’s words, exploiting more nicely is still exploitation, and it’s not something I want to see promoted by animal-focused charities. It smacks of hypocrisy to condemn some animals to a life of misery and painful death, in order to save (fewer) others from it. 

Sure, some people are going to argue that different groups pick different battles, but all these groups are doing is reproducing the norm that only some animals deserve rights. You could be forgiven for thinking that there’s no moral problem at all with torturing and killing most animals, at least until someone comes along and slaps an arbitrary label on them of “endangered” or “cyootie wootie babie aminal squeeeee”. And that justifies exploiting boring animals. 

It isn’t right, equality is for everyone or no one at all. More critical reflection plox groups! Kudos to those that try not to do this. 

Kthxbai.